Quentin Johnston will attract great interest in the NFL draft and is in the conversation to be the first wideout selected and certainly among the first five taken. The TCU star played as a freshman with 22 catches during the COVID-shortened season. By his junior season, Johnston led the Horned Frog receivers in their championship season with his 60 catches for 1069 yards and he logged 163 yards on six catches in the college playoff game against Michigan. TCU would finish No. 2 in the country after a painful loss in the national title game when Georgia was able to shut down Johnston.
Johnston was a Biletnikoff semifinalist and First-Team All-Big 12 last season. He’s built like a possession receiver but excelled at the long ball in college. He set the Big 12 Conference all-time freshman record with 22.1 yards per catch. Even as a junior and the primary focus of every opposing secondary, Johnston still turned in almost 18 yards per catch.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210 pounds
40 time: 4.49 seconds
He elected to forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL draft where he’ll be a hot commodity and carry starting expectations even as a rookie. He’s the tallest of the top tier wideouts from the NFL combine at 6-3. This year presents a class of speedy and yet smaller players at the top of the position, but Johnston offers a big presence all over the field.
Table: Player NCAA stats (2020-22)
| Year | School | Games | Catch | Yards | Avg. | TD | Rush | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | TCU | 8 | 22 | 487 | 22.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2021 | TCU | 8 | 33 | 634 | 19.2 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 2022 | TCU | 14 | 60 | 1069 | 17.8 | 6 | 3 | (-7) | 0 |
Pros
- Exacting route runner that can alter speed to gain separation
- Has the height and hands to win 50/50 balls
- Sticky hands that snatch the ball out of the air
- Adjusts route speed on deep balls as needed
- Outstanding catch-and-run ability tacks on extra yardage
- Arguably the most complete wideout in this class
- Offers the skills and potential to become an elite No. 1 wideout for his team
- Can win matchups at all three levels
- Expansive catch radius
Cons
- Needs to further expand his route tree
- Needs to develop his blocking skills
- Committed the occasional concentration drop
- Less formidable on underneath routes
- Stat totals greatly impacted by four monster performances
Fantasy outlook
Johnston was the difference-maker for quarterback Max Duggan and the surprising TCU squad this year. He’s the prototypical height and weight for a difference-making possession receiver for an NFL team with the presence to pick up third downs over the middle and yet plenty of skills to continue his penchant for catching the long ball or turning shorter catches into longer runs.
He is accomplished, but more importantly, can continue to grow and improve. While the Horned Frogs passing improved last year, Johnston can benefit greatly by being paired with any of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He’ll contribute as a rookie, but he has the potential to grow into an elite wideout. With just 115 catches in college, Johnston is nowhere near done with his development.
Johnston has been likened to Julio Jones and A.J. Green, who share the same frame size. But he enters the NFL with far fewer receptions than either of them. He could be a pick by the Bills or Chiefs which would obviously escalate his expectations. The Texans, Packers, Ravens, and Giants are also likely to be considering him. Johnston may need a year or two to hit his stride in the NFL, but he carries the serious potential to become a top receiver.